Fuel guage

[RustyRoss]

200 miles on the first quarter tank, 125 on the second, 75 on the third and 50 miles on the fourth quarter tank. Every time! Just like clock work. Does anyone else have this non-linear sender? Any fixes? :mad:

[hickcox]

It seems to me that was a common complain when I first started reading "The DieselPage". I guess I just got accustomed to living with it. If I ever start to travel any great distances, I might consider getting a larger tank with a real time fuel gauge/sending unit installed.
So to answer your question everybody with the orginal equipment has the same crazy sending unit.

[hoot]

Hey I've also got a propane tank in the bed with a wacky gauge. But you have to understand is that the shapes of the tanks don't help. My propane only shows 3/4 when full. Because it's cylindrical, the level drops quickly until it starts reaching halfway (largest dia.) then it slows up. After that it starts dropping like a rock again on the lower end.

My fuel tank does the same as everybody elses short bed trucks (26 gal). Long on the top end, short on the bottom. I'm sure they could custom design/calibrate the sender for each type of tank. Mo Money

[ 05-07-2002: Message edited by: hoot ]</p>

[AlaskaDmax]

Hey, I have the same problem too.

Also, do understand correctly that the short beds come with a 26 gallon tank and the long beds come with a 34 gallon tank?

The reason I ask is that I have a long bed and I only have a 26 gallon tank...did I get ripped off or what?

I would love to have a bigger tank.

[mdrag]

AlaskaDmax,

What is it that makes you believe you have a 26 gal tank instead of the 34 gal tank on your long bed?

If it is because the tank takes 26 gal to fill when the low fuel light comes on - others have reported there can be as much as 8 gal left in the tank when the low fuel light comes on...

[mdrag]

RustyRoss,

My '01 fuel gauge acts the same way as yours...and so did my '92 Suburban. I was hoping GM corrected this in 9 years but this remains a minor irritant...

[RustyRoss]

For what it's worth, I have run many diesel engine boats. For a variety of reasons (mostly water and garbage in the bottom), we never consider the las 10% of the tank "useable". My tank always takes 28.2 gal when the low fuel light comes on. I wonder if this is part of the issue here?

[Allison Jettester]

I have been driving Chevy/GMC cars/trucks since 1964 and the fuel gauges have always been like that. The older ones were even worse. They weren't damped and would bounce all over the guage as the fuel sloshed. At least they fixed that.

Joe

[AlaskaDmax]

mdrag,

I think it is a 26 gallon tank because that is what it takes to fill her up.

Up here in Alaska it is never a good idea to run the truck below 1/4 tank...cold temps, earthquake preparedness, avalanche preparedness....never a good idea, or maybe I don't want to be caught short handed in an emergency.

I have once or twice run her down below the 1/4 tank mark but have never, no not once, gotten a low fuel warning. It hasn't ever taken a drop more than 26 gallons...normally around 22 or so.

So I thought then that I have a 26 gallon tank. I did not consider any reserve capacity though.

Is it 8 gallons? Also as mention before above, it is not good to run them empty or near empty because of any crap or water that can be settled at the bottom....

[Wiley]

I also noticed the "non-linear" sender in my 2000 6.0 liter Silverado. I hated the mileage and small tank (26 gal) and coveted a larger tank.
Then I found Transfer Flow in Chico CA. but was reluctant to dump $1K for a 45 gal tank replacement into truck that I was really not happy with.
So logic prevailed and instead I popped $40K+ for a 2002 DuraMax Allison also with a 26 gal tank.
I replaced the tank with the 45 gal at Transfer Flow last month and love it. I put in the fast fill neck and as part of the install, they calibrated the sender and guage.

Here's what the calibration found.
On the 45 gal tank the guage reads full down to 38 gals. At 3/4 it has 31 gals. At 1/2 it has 22 gals. At 1/4 - 14 gals. And at E it has 7 gals.

Now to me that's pretty "linear". But you have 7 gals. above full and 7 gals. below empty. So the guage is only "reading" the 31 gals in between.

So knowing this, I'll no longer fill it at 1/4 tank. I'll wait until I get to "empty" with over 100 miles range to find a pump.

Much more pleasant that way. Except for the cost of the refill of course.

[millietom]

This may not excuse GM for their fuel gauge. They have been that way for a long time. My first pickup was a 1950 GMC. The fuel gauge was very accurate. but look at the tank. It was behind the seat and about 30" tall and about four inches wide. The float travel per gallon was way diffrent than modern fuel tanks. I may not remember the dimensions that well but you get the point. A fuel flow meter would be a great addition.
Tom

[TBC]

I have owned several GM products for years and the gages were the same. So was the couple of Fords and the 2 Chrysler products and the 2 Toyotas. Float type guage systems are not accurate. Small aircraft have them also. None of them are accurate. The one that comes close to being accurate is the one in my tool box fuel tank combo that is a rectangular tank. It does exhibit some of the same characterics of decreasing faster at the lower end of the range but just not quite as much as others. The variable resistance of the resitor along with the change in density of the fuel changing the resistance makes these systems less than accurate. The only way to build one that is more accurate would be to use wet level resistance and these also have problems. It is just a notorious problem.

I watch the guage but don't rely totally on that. I know about what the mpg is and will calculate the number of gallons available and will make an allowance for errors and plan my fuel stops well in advance regardless of the gage reading. Traveling in the wild places out west in Texas and the rest of the western US and Canada and Alaska you don't put your trust in a fuel gage.

[ChevysRus]

AlaskaDmax....bet you that you have a 34 gallon tank!!!! Low fuel light won't come on until the needle hits the first red mark. Then you have about 50-100 miles left before you get that Giant sucking sound LOL.

It's summer in Alaska and a great time to run that tank down a little, I, mean these are things you NEED to know,after all it could save your life up there in the winter. So resist the urge to fill up at the 1/4 mark and live dangerously for 100 miles or so. When the low fuel light comes on you have at least 50 miles (because I have run that long myself today for example) and there is more left, but it gets a little nerve racking to keep going. You can never put 34 gallon in because there is about 2-3 gallons left in there when it stops sucking, but if you have the nerve I am sure you can get 30 gallons in there if you drive long enough LOL. But just to prove the point try for the full 26 gallon fillup then you know you have a bigger tank.

Go For It!!

[AlaskaDmax]

ChevysRus,

You say it is summer in Alaska!!!!!

HA!HA!HA!

Man, it got below freezing 3 nights ago!!

The trees are starting to think about bursting with leaves, but there is still snow on the ground in many places. I drove to Kasilof this weekend and there is still snow in some places along the highway...in low country...

ALTHOUGH, It is getting pretty dang nice up here...the days are between 45 and 55. And the sun is almost shining around the clock, up to like 17.5 hours now.

All we need now are those BIG salmon to start running up the streams! :D :D :D :D

Anyway, thanks for the input!!

[ChevysRus]

well I might have jumped the gun a little and I guess what I meant is, it is Shipping Season and the barges and ships are carrying tons of stuff "North to Alaska". I am in the shipping business and we call this summer since the harbors are ice free almost and we can get stuff delivered LOL

Beats the hell out of November, December, January and Feb. RIGHT!

Anyway, drive that sucker and run that tank down!

Pull some Kings out of that stream or Bay and invite everyone up for some great salmon! LOL

[Maxter]

I have the big tank with the long bed. It's 128 liters. I travel regulary the same road wich is roughly 900 km long. I check the gage at the same places along the road wich are almost evenly placed every 225 km.

The gage reads 1/4 less at every checkpoint. When I arrive at destination, the fuel light has been on for about 100 km and there's roughly 7 liters left in the tank wich is a little less than 2 gallons (I know that I strech it a little...). This translate to 13.4 liters / 100 km wich is alot beter than my previous car wich was a 2001 Mazda Tribute. The best it did was about 16 liters / 100 km. The speed is 110 km/h on 675 km of very hilly roads and 120 km/h on 225 km of highway. I set the cruise and forget it.

If I fill-up when the light comes on, there's 20 liters left in the tank everytime. The truck has 11,000 km on it. I had it for 4 months. It will begin pulling hard in the next month or so.

[AlaskaDmax]

As far as above...I hereby propose that Canada should be forced to use the good old standard measurement system...I am NEVER going to submit to conformistism (hehehe) and learn that $^#%@&* metric system. :D :D :D

As far as I can tell from the above post he is using soda in his truck, with all the liters and what not!!! :D

ChevysRus,

What you meant to say was "September, October, November, December, January, February, March, April, and some of May.

NOW...using the good old standard system of measurement that means here in Alaska we get just more than 8 months of below freezing temperatures...most of us call that winter. :D :D Granted, the first snow sometimes doesn't come til October...but it does come in September every now and then.

As far as the fishing...

I have reservations at the Russian River for opening day + 3 (June 15-18). The Russian River is by far the best and most beautiful place to camp and fish within 2.5 hours of Anchorage. It is world renowned for it's Sockeye Salmon (Red Salmon)and it is not unusual to have a black bear meandering around you while you fish, and a grizzly bear helping himself to your personnal belongings while you sleep.

I HIGHLY recommend that any of you members out there that have always "dreamed of Alaska" stop what you are doing and get on a plane. You will be in awe of the beauty of this wild country.

That is all for now. :D :D